Antifoul?

[Bouy]

Hi,
I am new to boating, having just bought my first motorboat which I hope to soon keep on the River Medway. I want to do as much routine maintenance as I can myself, even the antifouling (which I've been told is a very messy job!).
Can anyone recommend the best antifoul pain to use, and should this be different for the hull and the sterngear?
Thanks.

 

[neth]

antifoul

Hi

the best thing you can do is to go to your local chandlrey tell them the type of boating you are doing salt water fresh water brackish etc and they will advise you, yes the antifoul is different for the sterngear
if you dont want to do it often buy the best and apply it well clean it properley before you apply it

regards
neth

 

[DavidJ]

There are three basic types of anti foul, Erodible (sometimes called Self Polishing), Hard and Traditional/Soft.
The first two leave you with a build up which has to be scraped off at some time. The soft is for less than 24knots (more or less dependant on the make). However although your boat and mine do more than 24 knots it's still a good choice since with expensive fuel consumption I don't blast around any more (or not very much anyway). At the end of the season it just jet washes off.
Depend on your style of boating to what you choose.

While I think of it, don't paint the hull antifoul right up to the stern drive, leave an inch (width of the masking tape) gap on the hull.

 

[VicS]

Using the same type of antifouling as other owners in the area is wise as they will know what works and what doesnt in that locality.

Use an antifouling compatible with aluminium on stern drives. The common cuprous oxide based types are not suitable.

Dont antifoul over anodes or sensors for Mercathode and similar systems

 

[oldgit]

Hello Bouy.Welcome to forum.A number of Medway boaters on here with craft of all shapes and sizes.What boat do you have and where do you moor it .Marina or mud berth,above or below Allington lock.?.
This can help decide which anti foul you may need.

 

[Rocksteadee]

Hello Bouy.Welcome to forum.A number of Medway boaters on here with craft of all shapes and sizes.What boat do you have and where do you moor it .Marina or mud berth,above or below Allington lock.?.
This can help decide which anti foul you may need.

Being the font of all knowledge what would you recomend for our section of the Med, cos even though it prob does not need it the Pirates cave have 20% off

 

[Sheppy]

Here's a short section I wrote for someone on the Fletcher forum:
This probably covers more than you want but it’s sometimes easier to cut and paste!
Also, I'm assuming you have a sports boat....


Here are a few points to consider that I’ve learnt from various sources, some the hard way, some from pure research. The first thing to consider is that no matter what you do and how much you spend, you will never stop the build up of algae. Algae is what you need to stop because it's algae that all the other stuff (weed, limpets, barnacles and other forms of growth) feed on. Unfortunately there is no magical product out there.

Yes, definitely use a hard antifoul paint otherwise it’ll start to come off at higher speeds – it’s designed specifically for planning hull boats. It also offers a smoother finish too so helps maintain speed and fuel.

In terms of what to use, Interspeed Ultra or Hempel Hard Racing are very well regarding but you need to speak to the locals (boaters and chandlers) to find out what works best in your particular location/water as the algae and other growth varies quite considerably around the country. While one brand of antifoul can be great in slow moving waters of a sea based pontoon, it can be highly ineffective in flowing rivers or estuary waters.

One big advantage of the Hempel is they offer wide colour choice – even white, so you can still have her looking smart. The paint is quite expensive but searching around online can save heaps. I’ve seen the same paint ranging from £65 to £105! I suspect you’ll just need a 2.5l tin for two coats but you’ll also need a suitable primer too assuming your boat has never been antifouled before. If it has, then it’s a slightly different story.

As mentioned, antifoul doesn’t stop the build-up of growth, it only slows down the start of the cycle, and so you’ll need to clean off your hull fairy regularly with a pressure washer, ideally every three/four months. If you don’t and it really takes hold, then it really doesn’t matter what you paint on the bottom of your boat. I’ve been told that regular pressure washing reduces the effectiveness of antifoul but I have no evidence to support that – any many boaters do just that.

There is chap who keeps his boat in the sea in Brixham and with no antifoul. He regularly pulls her out every two weeks on the trailer, gives her a good jet wash and scrub, then drops her back in. It seems to do the trick but if he leaves her for a month it starts to get difficult to get off.

Also make sure you don’t antifoul right up the engine /leg mount. Leave a gap of about 3mm. Else the copper content in the antifoul will react with any salt content and slowly degrade the aluminium – although that does take a long time. The outboard mount/leg needs to be painted with a non-copper based antifoul designed for the purpose.

Your own research may lead you to a product called Coppercoat. Personally I wouldn’t recommend it. Although a superb product for sailing boats, it’ll react badly with your engine/leg mounts due to its increased copper content. It’s also a bugger to remove too.

It’s certainly worth looking at some sonic solutions as well. They do however only work in conjunction with antifoul. The main problem here is the battery drain over long periods, not to mention the expensive but they do seem very effective in trials. I’m considering fitting one in the next year or two as the prices are starting to fall so as to gain market share with the smaller boat sector.

I found this link useful – actually the whole site is full of interesting info:
http://www.boat-angling.co.uk/Hints_and_Tips/Howtopaintantifouling.htm

Whichever way you go, it becomes and expensive yearly process. You can clean, sand and repaint every year for about three maybe fours years, but after that you need to consider stripping it back to the gel coat and starting afresh.

I'm sure many will add there commets and either agree/disagree with above but tough - all is IMHO

John

 

[talltim]

If it is any help

Just had mine lifted out off the tidal medway where she sits on a drying berth

The bottom looked pretty clean to me the antifoul used turned out to be Internationals Interspeed Ultra